Chris dedicates his practice exclusively to representing employers with labor and employment law issues:
- Compliance Advice
Provides solution-oriented counseling and advice on issues such as compliance, reductions in force, high-risk and/or high-profile employment terminations, employment policies and procedures, whistleblower protections and response, organizational restructuring, and other strategic projects affecting the workforce, such as changes in compensation, incentive plans, and other benefits. - Litigation
Defends employers in all workplace litigation and disputes in federal and state courts, before arbitral tribunals including the American Arbitration Association and Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, and before federal, state, and local administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U.S. Department of Labor, Florida Commissions on Human Relations, and others. These disputes include claims for discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower violations, wage and hour violations, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) interference and retaliation, disability discrimination and failure to accommodate under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state law, workplace torts, noncompetes, and nonsolicitations, etc. - Investigations
Conducts investigations into sensitive and high-profile workplace discrimination, harassment, or other misconduct allegations. This includes investigations done at the direction of in-house counsel intended to be privileged and in the role of an outside investigator who can serve as a witness as to employee complaints and the employer’s response. - Training
Creates and delivers effective workplace training presentations on a variety of topics such as workplace respect, effective people management, emotional intelligence, navigating leaves of absence and reasonable accommodation requests, and strategic guidance on workplace structuring, ranging from rank-and-file to C-suite audiences.
Hospitality and Travel Industry Expertise — Chris has extensive experience representing clients in the hospitality and travel industries and co-chairs the firm’s Hospitality Industry Group. Chris represents hotels, resorts, and restaurants, from large chains to small boutiques, and including multi- and single-unit owners, in employment litigation and providing compliance advice, employee and HR training, and workplace investigations.
Client service is at the center of Chris’s practice, and his clients consider him a true business partner and trusted adviser.
Chris’s substantive areas of expertise run the gamut of employment law and include, in particular, the following:
- Wage and Hour
- Discrimination and Harassment
- Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims
- Family and Medical Leave
- Disability and Religious Accommodations
- Compensation and Incentives
- Restructurings and Reductions in Force
- Workplace Torts
- Restrictive Covenants, Noncompetes, and Nonsolicitation Agreements
Chris is fluent in Spanish, being a native speaker of that language. A substantial portion of his practice is supporting foreign companies with labor and employment law compliance, strategic advice, litigation, and training in connection with their U.S. workforce.
